This and That... Maggie's Blog

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Oh,
my goodness! Time flies! We've had a busy time here, a new
grandbaby, trips away, Christmas company and a major house painting
project...

Yesterday,
was the first day in ages that I seemed to find time to sit down,
relax and do a little yarn doodling!

After
completing two Christmas stocking projects for our 2014 grandbabies,
I could not face anything wooly until now. Honestly, one of the
stockings was being completed as Santa packed his sleigh – it was a
real race.

Anyway,
these little bitties are Tawashis – a free pattern from Ssh, I'm
Counting. I've made them from little scraps of cotton yarn, using a
4.5 hook. Not only am I using up little bits and pieces, I'm getting
into the swing again for a larger project – limbering up, so to
speak. They're meant for washing your face...use once then throw in
the washer when you do your towels. We'll see how they work!

Try
some yourself. It's an easy pattern, great for when you're watching
a movie.

First,
prep your spaghetti squash, either in the oven or in the microwave.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Microwave:
Preheat whole squash 1 minute. Halve lengthwise, remove seeds and
membranes. Place cut side down in casserole dish. Add 1/4 – 1/2
cup water. Cook on high for 12 minutes. Test to make sure it's fork
tender. Drag your fork through the inside of the squash in multiple
directions until you have a pile of strands. Leave
the strands in your squash “boats”.

Oven:
Cut
your squash in half and remove seeds and membranes. Bake in oven at
375 for 30 minutes. Use your fork to stir up the strands.

While
your squash is cooking, prepare a meat sauce. It could be as simple
as browning some chopped onion and lean hamburger and then adding a
jar of spaghetti sauce. Or, it could be like my latest version – a
mysterious mixture of vegetables, black beans, cooked taco meat from
the freezer, three tomatoes and the tail end of a jar of salsa. : )

Pile
a generous layer of sauce on top of each squash boat (allow one per
person) and then heap on some grated mozzarella.

There
were no written directions with the Facebook post, but I would
suggest you take care to “clean” your punch afterwards by
punching a number of paper shapes and allowing the punch to air dry
thoroughly.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

May
I just say, one of the unexpected perks of being a retired teacher
is....

PEANUT
BUTTER.

Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich

Yes,
it's something I'm “all caps” excited about.

Peanut
butter was a no-no at our school. Allergies made it a risky
proposition in a classroom, so peanut butter was restricted to
weekend sandwiches on the ski trail.

Now,
move over and make room for my jar of pb!

Today
at lunch, we “taste tested” two interpretations of an upscaled
version of the classic peanut butter sandwich: Grilled Peanut Butter
and Peanut Butter French Toast. Am I the last person in Canada to
try these?

If
you really want all the nitty gritty details, lists of ingredients
and directions, click here
for Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana...

...or
here if you feel
inclined to whip up Peanut Butter French Toast.

Peanut Butter French Toast

Not
that you really need a recipe. For the Grilled Peanut Butter I used
raisin bread, peanut butter and a drizzle of chocolate sundae topping
to make a sandwich. Butter the outside
(both sides) of your sandwich and gently
fry in
a non-stick skillet until nicely toasted on both sides.

For
the Peanut Butter French Toast version, after constructing my raisin
bread, peanut butter and chocolate sandwich, I dipped the sandwich in
one beaten egg, coating well. Again, gently fry in a non-stick
skillet until nicely browned on both sides. Top with syrup, whipped
cream or whatever you enjoy most on pancakes or conventional French
toast.

The
verdict? Both were delicious, with Peanut Butter French Toast edging
into a first place finish. Just something a little different for
lunch (or brunch)... : )

Entitled,
Puerperium Cardigan, it's a free pattern knit all in one piece on
size 4 mm needles using an 8 ply/DK weight yarn. Yeah! No sewing
pieces together. It does have all those buttons to sew on, however!
: ) Click here to get to Kelly's website. She has a larger version for sale, but scroll to the bottom for the (free!) newborn pattern.

This
version has short sleeves but there are directions for both straight
and tapered long sleeves.

Notice
how my suitcase is packed? Yes! Any day now, a new little
grandbaby! I'm ready!Happy Saturday!Maggie